Container closure



INVENTOR.

O. G. DAHLIN CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Feb. l 1951 Aug' 21,

United States PatentP O CONTAENER, CLOSURE Oloiv G. Dahlin Stockholm, Sweden,` assigner to AB. Qrga, Steckholni, Swedgna, a corporation of Swede@ and'Uno Lindholrn, Stockholm, Sweden Application -Fefiiartnuy 1, 1951SerialNo. 208,967

Claiuns,A (Clt Z22-e521) The. present invention relates to ay closure for containers lfor powders, liquids and pastes. More particularly, the invention embodies a closure having acap and a nozzle which can .be used with tubesfor tooth pastes. and powders, creams, and the like, and.- by means ofwhich the tube contents may be dispensedwithout removal of the cap.

Thegeneral tube for pastes, powders, and creams has aisealing cap, usually threadable, which must be removed in order to dispense thetube contents. being generally inconvenient, the. cap often rolls out of the usershand onto the oor, or is misplaced, thus adding to the users annoyance.

It is anl object of my invention to. present a closure for a tube containing-toothpaste,and the like in which the tube contents may be dispensed without necessitating removal of any partof the closure.

It is a further object of the invention to present ay closure for a tube which is easily manipulated.

Because it is no longer necessary to remove the cap in, order to dispense the contents of the tube, one advantage of my invention is` that the capvcannot be misplaced or lost.

' Another advantage flowing from my invention isthat the userv need-employ only one handfto`v dispense the contents of. the tube.y l

O .th'erA advantages andV objects of the presentV invention, will. become more apparent as it is described in detail below with particular reference tothe accompanying ligeras- Fig. lis a vertical cross-section of a closure device .emT bodied in` my invention;

Fig. 2V is a verticalv cross-section ofthe closure shown. inl Eigyl and takenat 90 thereto, the closure beingy in open position;

Eig,l 3. is arvertical cross-section of a modified form of: the @me devise;

Eig, 4/is aH vertical cross-section of the modified forniy short/nin Fig.. 3 andftaken at 90"`- thereto, the closure being inonen-aositien;

Fig. 5 is, a. perspective View of a nozzle employed in the invention;

Eigi 6 is, a, View inL partially broken away elevation of stillanother form ofthe invention;

Fig. 7y is avertical cross-section of the closure shown in. Fig. 6 and taken at 90 thereto, the closure being in open position; and,

Fig.. 8 is a view in sectiontaken onlinesS-S of Fig. 6, and looking in thedirection of` the arrows.

In accordance with the presentA invent-ion, l, have designed apelosure for containers dispensing liquids, pastes and powders,v which closure comprises a cap having. an upwardly.v converging: channeltherein and a threaded portien.l adapted to., cooperate withv a threaded portion of the neek, o f the container, and, a nozzle positioned in the nealsqfthe centaner. which 11.92.49- When the Closure iS in Sealsdnosififmfsads upwardly. into the @merging Chan' In addition toV 2,759,643 Patented Aug. 2l, 1956 rice cap. The .innerfsurfacelj ofthe cap ll7ha s a threaded;

portion 2lfwhich'is-designed to cooperate with V theseig-s ternally threaded portion l of Vthe containerA neck- 1 2.

An external flangeZsZ,I onthecapf17 servesias'ahfandL graspv for` unserewing` the: cap and openingy the c losiirel A'Vnozzle 23r-which,seats, in thecontainer neck 1:2`l cooperates with the cap, lfto sealthe container against outflow of the contents. This nozzle 2,13 `comprises ,flekible' arms 24 which exteuddownwardlyvfrom the head portion. Thetop surface 26 of the head portion 2K5 hasthe samey dimensionsk as the narrowest point ofthe chanvrxleLv Although, the narrowest. point of the channel 1.8,;

18. as shown infig., l occurs` atits opening in the top. Sul;- face 19.of thecap 17, it also may occur inside the chan; nel` without affecting the. invention. This. headportilon 25' has, a downwardly diverging frnstum shapedsurfae` 27. Whenthenozzlezgisreceived into the channell', the container ll, is closed.

The exible armsrdhave, externallugs 28 positioned; thereon. The shoulders 29, of, these lugs ZSIengage the. inner surface. 20 of the. cap ll7fy when the closure is` closed position. The basesv 3l) of the lugs 28 rest on the topsurface 141I of` the neck 12.

Each of theflexible. arms M has an external horizontal groove 3l adapted toreceive or. seat the inwardly.pro. jecting. flange l5. Thelange l5 holds-v the nozzle 23 in place and prevents the lower portions of the arms` 24 from slipping out of.: the passage 16 inthe neck 1,2; The, side openings 32;, formed` bythe arms Ziexit into the. annular passage 33 located between the inner surface, 2t). of. thecap .17and the nozzle 23.

The apex angle of thefrustum formed by surface 27- ofthe nozzle 23 issmaller. than the apex angle of thefrustum formed by the upwardly convergingchannel; 18 In otherl words, when` the head 25. is received intor the channel llfS, the correspondingfrustum shaped surface of. eachl will engage eachl other. in sealing fashion only near the. opening ofV the channel, i. e. the narrowest point. Thus, an annular space 34y is left between the surface 2,57 and the lower portion of the channel 1S since the channel is not completely plugged up.

Even in.v the closed position, my closure has a continuous passageconnecting the channel i8 and thebody of the container ll. The passage is formed as follows, The passage 16 in the neck 12 connects with the side openings 32 which open out into the annular passage 33, ,lnl turn, the annular passage. 33 leads into the upwardly converging channel 18 of the cap 17. However, since. the cap 17 is in closed position, the channel 13. is sealedA by the head-portion 25 of thenozzle 23 so that no material may flow through this continuous passage.

The operation of the present invention takes place follows. When itis desired to open the container and remove some of the powder, paste or liquid therein, the cap 17 is `partially unscrewed from the neck l2, This manipulation elevates the cap. 1.7 andl unplugs the channel 1S so that material can flow through the continuous passageway formed by the various channels and open-v ings. The containerV is then squeezed or inverted, which evervmay be necessary, in order to dispensethe contents thereof. The contents will: ow, as shown by` the arrows U in Fig. 2, through the passage 16 and between the flexible arms 24 into the side openings 32. The material will then move from the side openings 32 into the annular passage 33, and from there out through the channel 13.

If the further contents of the container are no longer needed, the cap 17 is screwed downwardly into the closed position. The uppermost portion of the downwardly diverglng surface 27 will then contact the uppermost port1on of the channel 18 thereby sealing the channel against any further outow.

Any material adhering to the surface of the channel 18 or the surface 27 of the nozzle 23 will be forced into the space 34 by the downward movement of the cap 17. Thus, there will be no mashing or grinding of the surface 27 by material caught between the two surfaces.

At the same time, since the head portion of the nozzle 23 has a different conical apex angle than that of the channel 18, the opening of the channel 18 in the cap 17 will conform to any irregularities in the sealing surface 27 of the nozzle 23 to form an excellent seal.

Moreover, the head portion 25, if the cap 17 should be too vigorously closed, is further protected against mashing or squeezing by the channel surface by means of the shoulders 29 of the lugs 2.8. rThese shoulders 29 will engage the inner surface 20 of the cap 17 and prevent the cap from being screwed down further onto the neck 12 with accompanying injury to the nozzle 23.

Furthermore, the thread angle of the neck 12 and the cap 17 is great enough to permit a maximum opening in the channel 13 by a quarter or third turn of the cap.

Figs. 3 and 4 show another form of the closure ernbodied in my invention. The nozzle 23 is the same as that employed in the closure shown in Fig. l. However, the cup-shaped cap 17 differs from the cap shown in Fig. l in that it has an inner cylindrical sleeve inserted in the cap and afxed thereto, the upper portion 36 of the sleeve being threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion 13 of the neck 12. The sleeve 35 has an inwardly projecting element 37 such as a ange.

The neck 12 has a peripheral rib 38, or some other outwardly projecting element, positioned between the threaded portion 13 of the neck 12 and the shoulder 39 of the container 11.

In unscrewing the cap 17 to open the closure, the cap 17 can not be removed from the container 11 because the rib 38 engages the flange 37 and locks the cap against further upward movement.

When the cap 17 is screwed downwardly into closed position, the rib 33 engages the threaded portion 36 so that further downward movement of the cap is resisted. At the same time, the ange 37 engages the shoulder 39 and also resists further downward movement of the cap 17. Both these features serve to prevent any mashing or destruction of the nozzle 23 by the cap 17 in its downward movement.

Although the sleeve 35 is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 as an element distinct from the cap 17, both elements may be made as one integral part without effecting the pres ent invention.

Any suitable material 23 which is flexible enough may be utilized for the nozzle to permit the arms 24 of the nozzle 23 to move inwardly when the nozzle is inserted in the neck 1?., and then to spring back into normal position once it is seated in the neck 12. Furthermore, the cap 17 should be of a softer material than the nozzle 23 or the nozzle should be softer than the cap to obtain the best sealing effect.

A still further modification embodied in the present invention is shown in Fig. 6, in which the nozzle employed is made an integral part of the container. The cap employed is essentially the same as that shown in Fig. l. r'he container 4@ has a shoulder 41 and an outwardly threaded neck 42 from which a nozzle 43 extends upwardly and outwardly. This nozzle 43 has a head portion 44 which is joined to the neck 42 by means of the vertical elements 45 so that the nozzle is an integral part of the neck. Side openings 46, formed by the elements 45, connect the passage 47 in the neck 42 with the annular passage 48 formed by the sides of the cap 49 and the nozzle 43. The annular passage 48 leads into an upwardly converging channel Sil which opens in the top of the cap 49. The head portion 44 of the nozzle 43 iits into the channel 50 but engages only the narrowest part of the channel to produce a sealing effect. The apex angle of the head portion 44 is smaller than the apex angle of the channel 5t? to produce an eficient seal.

When the cap 49 is screwed onto the neck 42 by means of a threaded portion 51, its further downward movement will be resisted by the shoulder 41 of the container 4o, thereby preventing injury to the head portion 44 of the nozzle 43.

When the closure is opened and the material is being dispensed, the contents will move upwardly through the passage 47, through the side openings 46 into the annular passage 43, around the head portion 44 of the nozzle 43, and out through the channel 5t).

While the invention has been described in detail and shown with respect to the accompanying drawings, it is not to be limited to such details, since many changes and modications may be made in the invention withn out departing from the spirit and scope thereof. For example, the nozzle of the closure shown in Fig. 3 may be made an integral part of the container rather than an insertable member.

Hence, it is desired to cover any and all forms and modifications of the invention which may come within the language and scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

l claim:

l. A dispensing tube for pastes, powders and liquids including, in combination, a neck portion having an inwardly projecting ange, a cup-shaped cap for said neck portion having a downwardly projecting flange and an upwardly converging channel, and a nozzle element insertable in said neck portion and having a head portion projecting upwardly from said neck portion and tting into said channel, said nozzle element having flexible arms projecting downwardly into said neck portion and engaging the interior walls thereof, each said arm having an external horizontal groove, said flange being confined within said grooves and serving in conjunction therewith as a connection between said flexible arms and said neck portion to hold said nozzle in position, and abutment means located wholly without the connes of said upwardly converging channel for limiting longitudinal displacement of said cap.

2. A dispensing tube for pastes, powders and liquids including, in combination, a neck portion having an inwardly projecting iiange, a cup-shaped cap having a downwardly projecting flange and an upwardly converging channel, said cap and neck portion having cooperating threaded surfaces, and a nozzle element insertable in said neck portion and having a head portion converging upwardly from said neck portion and tting into said channel, said channel converging at a greater angle than said head portion, said nozzle element and said channel cooperating with each other to seal said channel, said nozzle element having flexible arms projecting downwardly into said neck portion and engaging the interior walls thereof, each said liexible arm having an external groove, said ange being confined within said grooves and serving in conjunction therewith as a connection between said exible arms and said neck portion, and a plurality of outwardly and downwardly projecting lugs carried by said nozzle element at points intermediate said head and said grooves and seated on top of said neck portion and there serving to retain said nozzle element against longitudinal displacement incident to moving said cap into closing engagement with said head portion.

3. A closure for a container having an inwardly extending ridged neck portion by way of which are dispensed liquids, pastes and powders comprising a cap having an upwardly converging channel, said neck portion and said cap having cooperating threaded surfaces, and a nozzle element insertable in said neck portion, said nozzle element received into said channel in sealing fashion and adapted to engage said channel only at its narrowest point, said nozzle further having ilexible down wardly extending elements which seat in said neck pors tion, each said downwardly extending element having an externally grooved surface which receives said ridged neck portion to retain said nozzle in said container, and abutment means located wholly without the confines of said upwardly converging channel for limiting longitudinal displacement of said cap.

4. A container having a neck portion by way of which are dispensed liquids, pastes and powders, and a closure for said container, said closure comprising a cap displaceably connected to said neck portion for axial movement thereon and having an upwardly converging channel, and a nozzle carried by said neck portion and having a head portion converging upwardly from said neck portion at a greater angle of convergency than that of said channel and adapted to enter said channel and there atford substantially only a line-contact engagement with the wall -of said channel, whereby said channel is closed against undue delivery of the container content by way of said channel, a single shoulder on the neck portion of the container, and abutment means cooperable and engageable with said single shoulder and located wholly without the confines of said upwardly converging channel for limiting longitudinal displacement of said cap in opposite directions.

5. A container having a neck portion by way of which are dispensed liquids, pastes and powders, and a closure for said container, said closure comprising a cap displaceably connected to said neck portion for axial movement thereon and having an upwardly converging channel, a nozzle carried by said neck portion and having a head portion converging upwardly from said neck portion and adapted to enter said channel and there aord a closure for said channel, said nozzle forming with said cap an annular passage and having a side opening and a central passage by way of which side opening and central passage communication is ai'orded between said annular passage and the interior of said container, a single shoulder on said cap, and abutment means cooperable and engagealble with rsaid single `shoulder and located wholly without the contines of said upwardly converging channel for limiting longitudinal displacement of said cap in opposite directions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,357,024 Behrman Oct. 26, 1920 1,779,703 Hawkins Oct. 28, 1930 1,858,419 Sether May 17, 1932 1,877,882 Jones Sept. 20, 1932 1,975,878 Thomson Oct. 9, 1934 2,008,216 Lombi July 16, 1935 2,106,028 Heimsch et al. Jan. 18, 1938 2,111,186 Jenks Mar. 15, 1938 2,186,449 Drobniewsky Ian. 9, 1940 2,591,231 Boadway Apr. 1, 1952 

